Francesca nodded. “What you say is very true, especially now, when Lucian is here and hunting us, but I think we can monitor her thoughts well enough to control the situation. If we believe there is danger, we will have time to contact Aidan.”
Gabriel’s eyebrow shot up and Francesca turned away from him to hide her sudden amusement. Gabriel did not like her idea of consulting Aidan Savage over any matter, let alone one within his own household. It was all she could do to keep her face straight.
Gabriel reached out lazily and held her shoulder. “Are you laughing at me?” he inquired very softly. His voice purred with menace.
“Would I do that?” Her eyes were so dark they were black, and they glinted with laughter.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her right into the shelter of his body. “Yes, you would do that,” he whispered, bending his dark head to the invitation of her neck. His mouth skimmed over her satin-soft skin. “Are you so busy with these people, you have no time at all to discuss my ailments? I need healing.”
She reached up behind herself and circled his neck with her arm, leaning into him so that his every muscle was imprinted on her slender body. She found his mouth with hers. The earth seemed to stand still beneath her feet. For one heart-stopping moment breath ceased to be important. Their hearts had a single beat, their minds were fully merged, their souls one. Francesca melted into him, her body soft and pliant. He could do that with his kiss. Send molten lava coursing through her blood and raise her temperature several degrees in seconds.
“We have a child,” she murmured softly against his throat. “She’s moving toward us right at this moment.”
Gabriel groaned softly. He had heard the soft pad of Skyler’s small feet as she explored their home. At the first rising, Gabriel had hunted prey, feeding well for himself and for Francesca. They had much to do, seeing that Skyler was settled in her new home. Gabriel approved of the bodyguard Francesca had summoned. Jarrod Silva was a man of almost thirty who looked very capable. He wasn’t the least bit intrusive and Gabriel easily read his desire to do a good job. Gabriel reinforced Jarrod’s determination with a subtle compulsion and was satisfied the man would protect Skyler should the need arise.
Francesca turned all the way around in his arms, to press her slender body along the length of his. He laughed softly, holding her close. “I look at you, Francesca,” he whispered softly as he framed her face with his hands, “and I cannot believe my good fortune. You are my life, my very breath. I hope that you always know that and carry the knowledge in your heart. You make the torment I endured all those centuries worthwhile.”
Francesca felt tears gathering behind her eyes. She sensed his utter sincerity, the intensity of his emotion. Certainly he wanted her body, she could feel the heat and need in him rising like the inevitable tide, but even stronger and more intense was the love he felt for her. She told herself to breathe, just to take a breath and inhale his scent.
A soft sound had both of them turning their heads. “I love that about the two of you,” Skyler announced. She was moving slowly, carefully, her small body still battered physically. “The way you look at each other. I’ve never seen anyone else do that. You look at each other with such love. It shines between you.”
Francesca immediately held out her hand to the girl. “And you wonder if there’s any room for you.”
Skyler looked very fragile. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, her eyes enormous in her delicate face. She looked far younger than her fourteen years until one looked at her too-old eyes.
Skyler ducked her head, her long lashes veiling the expression in her eyes, but she moved forward and took the outstretched hand. Francesca drew her gently to them. Gabriel covered their hands with his. “We have enough love to go around, Skyler,” he replied gently. “More than enough. We are family, the three of us, and we always will be, no matter what the future brings. It starts here, with us. Francesca has lived her life alone, as I have. You also. We do this together, helping one another.” His voice was beautiful and compelling. He could command the heavens and make the very earth rise up beneath their feet. He made Skyler a believer without any hidden compulsion.